


Until my Last Breath

by Warmebrisevommeer



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Action, Action & Romance, Blood and Violence, Botw Alternative Universe, Crush at First Sight, Drama & Romance, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Sex, Eventual Smut, F/M, Friendship/Love, Gender Roles, Healer Zelda, History, Kingdom of Hyrule, Martial Arts, Military, Mystery, Ninja, Politics, Power Dynamics, Prince Link (Legend of Zelda), Puzzles, Reverse Gender Roles, Secret Relationship, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Social Issues, Soulmates, Spies & Secret Agents, The Great Calamity (Legend of Zelda), Women In Power
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-12 16:15:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,729
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29138400
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Warmebrisevommeer/pseuds/Warmebrisevommeer
Summary: In a world where Link has been reborn as a prince and Zelda as a healer from the folk, a threat from the shadows is brewing that fatefully binds the two together.Zelda is a courageous young woman who refuses to be bent by social norms. Regardless of class, background or race, she devotes herself to the science of healing and is bound only by her oath as a healer.Link is a prince of a stern father with four half-brothers and a younger sister who are always striving to win the king's favour. He loves the people and the country with all his patriotism, but due to the pressure of all expectations for a prince, he hides his true self, until one day he met Zelda, who turned his life upside down.
Relationships: Brother/Sister, Link & Link's Father (Legend of Zelda), Link & Link's brothers, Link & Zelda (Legend of Zelda), Link/Zelda (Legend of Zelda), Zelda & Zelda's Father
Kudos: 6





	Until my Last Breath

As always, Link wakes up with the first rays of the sun, when the night still hangs mighty over the sky. When he jumped out of his bed in his sapphire blue night suit, he looked out of the wide-open window and searched for the sun. The white light broke a line at the end of the horizon and let the peak of the mountains look dangerous and scary. As Link walks to the closet and pulls out his black tunic and his Hylian trousers, the first servant knocks at the door and pleads for entrance.

“You may come inside.” Without showing any emotions, the servant called Celessia, brought him his morning hot tea made of the mighty thistle. It increases his willpower and lets him train harder and better every morning. “Please leave it on the table mistress Celessia.”

“Yes, your royal highness.” She says in a soft voice and leaves the room quietly.

Satisfied, Link nips at the soothing warmth of the tea and plans what training session he will have to train today.

He marched along the training ground and chose a suitable target, pulled his bow from his shoulder, leaned an arrow against the string and pulled the string with his thumb. The huge ring on his thumb, bearing the royal crest, protected his thumb from flesh wounds, inflicted by the string and too long training. He took a deep breath and concentrated on the point to which he wanted to shoot.

Then, he let go of the string. The arrow whizzed through the air and struck the black centre with full force.

Still, he wasn't satisfied, it didn't challenge him much, didn't give him a thrill to shoot after a target when he wasn't under stress.

Link trained non-stop, relentless, and driven by his delusion to outdo his brothers in the Heir to the Throne selection. He jumped over obstacles and shot from the air at several targets at once but failed to land and crashed to the ground.

He refused to give up and stood back on his feet with a shaking body. He took a deep breath to concentrate, but pain from his ribs stabbed through his whole body. His breath shook with pain and he sweated nervously. _'Focus, Link!'_ he slapped himself inwardly and started his iron-hard parkour again.

After the hard work out, he looked for the healer down the market. He walked past hard-working people from the kitchen and was greeted warmly. He smiled back each time but had to control himself to grimace so as not to show the pain. He always admired the drive of the people who worked in Hyrule Castle and tried to be friendly to them, even when his father tried to tell him otherwise.

‘ _A king must always maintain his dignity and never regard anyone as his equal,'_ his father's words rang in his head. Link, however, disagreed.

He continued to walk the corridors and observed the goings-on, picking up conversations here and there. One of them had been able to catch a special fish yesterday, and another told of a wrestling match in which he earned three times more than in the castle. Link always found the conversations interesting because he could learn a lot from the lives of others, and it didn't make him look like a spoilt prince locked up in the huge castle.

When he finally found the exit to the marketplace, he sighed with relief. The sun had been in the sky for some time by now, dipping the lively square in a golden, welcoming light. Men and women shouted and chanted from their stalls to attract more buyers, but Link also saw castle-affiliated servants, presumably running errands for the kitchen and the royal family.

Link, glad to be reasonably undetected, continued his search for the healer. But he was no longer at his stall, as usual. He therefore asked a passer-by who was nearby if she knew where the healer was.

"Yes, the old man has retired and is training a new disciple, he is in an old hut at the end of the road, around the corner to the left."

"Have thanks, honoured lady. Have a good day." Link politely said goodbye and hurried to the healer, because he didn't know how long he could stand the pain on his ribs.

As he reached the end of the street, he noticed how quieter it was and how shabby the houses here looked. He knew he would take another look on the surroundings to speak with his youngest brother, on how to improve this area when he had more time, but now he limped straight to the open door of the hut, expecting to find the healer, or his student, but instead he found a young woman with golden long hair.

The sun shone only minimally through the dirty windows, but the few rays made her hair look like liquid gold. The girl was squatting on the floor under the table filled with all sorts of herbs and substances, making notes in a small book as she looked back and forth between her book and the herbs.

Link leaned against the wooden door frame with his arms folded, analysing her from head to toe. Her back was turned to him; from the looks of it, she hadn't noticed him yet. Link cleared his throat, startling the young woman, and banged her head against the edge of the table. She held her head with her face contorted in pain and turned to him curiously. Neither could get out of their stare until Link cleared his throat to avoid being rude. "I'm looking for the healer, or at least his apprentice. I-"

"You have chest pains, am I right?" she interrupted him.

For a moment he stared at her, perplexed, and immediately understood. "So, _you_ are the healer's pupil. I see. Say, would you look at my ribs, the pain takes my breath away."

"Very well, please sit on the table."

Link did as he was told and sat on the table while the young woman laid herbs and bandages ready beside him. Curious, he watched her work.

"If you will allow me, I would prefer to remove your tunic".

"It would be a great help if you could do that for me." He whispered through his pain. Sweating through his sorrow.

She looked at him with her big green eyes and smiled shyly. Quietly and carefully, she pulled up his top and got him to release his pain-free side first, then helped him out of his injured half. Gentle, soft fingertips tentatively touched his skin. He wasn't sure why his body was paying so much attention, though, because she wasn't the first woman to touch him, after all.

"What is your name, healer?" he asked, giving her a sly smile.

"My name is Zelda, my lord. Or should I say Your Royal Highness, rather?" she said, curtsying playfully. Through her lashes, she looked up at him and smiled.

Link was surprised once more at her astuteness. He smirked. "You recognised it from my ring." It was more a statement than a question, yet she nodded.

"Outside of the royal family and the archer battalion, few are permitted to wear a ring on their thumb. And only the Royal Family is permitted to wear this ring with the sacred Triforce Seal of the Deities. Judging by your sea-blue irises, you must be Prince Link, as your brothers often have ice-blue or green ones."

Link wondered why he had never met such a gifted woman, even though he knew every face in and around Hyrule Castle. While he pondered this, she crushed plants in a wooden mortar and spread the paste on the bandages.

Zelda secretly kept looking at Link's immaculately shaped face, but quickly lowered her gaze when their eyes met.

"These herbs will soften the lesions on your ribs and the bandages will support your muscles. Please be more careful with your body next time. When the body and mind are not in harmony, such injuries occur."

Link nodded and then felt the cooling paste on his body and how she carefully, with skilful hands, tied the bandage around his broad chest. He relaxed; exhaled in relief.

"I thank you for your help. But I am surprised that I have never met such a beautiful and skilled woman as you are. Is this your first time in the marketplace?"

"No, your royal highness. I have been here for some time and enjoyed training as a healer. You just hadn't noticed me until now."

"What a blind idiot I've been." Meaningfully, he stared into her green eyes. He knew women were at his feet when he looked at them like that.

"No you're not, your royal highness. Our paths just haven't crossed yet."

"Then I would like our paths to cross more often, from now on. What would you think of getting a better education at the castle? I'd get you all the books and materials you'd need and you'd be given the title of Royal Healer."

Zelda frowned imperceptibly, generous offers usually had a catch with them; even more so when it came from a prince.

"Forgive my rudeness, but I must decline your offer. I am still not a trained master healer and I have yet to pay off my debt to the master, so I will stay here where I belong. You should now return to your palace and rest your bruises."

Zelda turned her back on him and returned her attention to her notes.

"Do you not charge a fee for treatment?" he asked, as if left out in the cold. While he knew that not everything worked his way, it felt like a punch in the gut with her.

"No, because I have to write everything down and if the Master reads that a prince has been here, he'll grumble at me for not taking all your rupees." Zelda half turned to Link and squinted over at him while the corners of her mouth twitched trying not to laugh at her master.

"Then accept this as an anonymous donation" Link reached into his leather pouch on his belt and detached it. Setting the entire pouch down on the treatment table, he picked up his tunic and left the hut before Zelda could refuse his generous donation.

Link stopped shortly and heard from a distance how Zelda snapped for air sharply and then began to cheer. He couldn't help but smiling broadly across his face. Proudly, he walked back to the marketplace.

In the open square, the wind blew icy cold over his naked and bandaged upper body. As if he were stepping out of a hammam into the open air, the icy cold awakened his senses. He was aware of how much rupees he had left behind and hoped that the oddball old man would relieve her of her debt. But knowing him, it was not the case.

As he mulled over a solution to help Zelda to move on, he smiled half-heartedly at the passer-by who greeted him with his title. He was too busy trying to find a solution.

Soon the winter solstice would fall in the kingdom, it would get freezing cold in the run-down hut and he wanted them to be warm.

Zelda counted the rupees the prince had left again, just to make sure she could trust her mind. Six thousand five hundred and sixty-four rupees she counted in total. It was enough to research more medicines, buy new instruments and they could still find a better, but more importantly warmer, place to stay that had a bit more space to accommodate more patients. "Almighty Goddess Hylia, I thank you for sending me this generous prince," she whispered.

"Did I just hear generous prince?"

Shocked, Zelda turned abruptly to stare at her diminutive master. She had to quickly weigh how much to reveal without Link losing face. It was too unlikely that a person of the royal family would show up.

"A man came on behalf of the royal court and delivered this purse full of rupees to me. The man did not want to reveal who the anonymous donor was at first, but I managed to find out that it was one of the princes. The servant added the message that it was time to fund Doctor Borville's talent and left without another word. That is all I know, sir."

Zelda held her breath, so tense was she. Under no circumstances could she reveal to the old man that the Prince had been here, as he would force her to ingratiate herself to the Prince to exploit him for his greedy purposes.

The old man scratched his pointed beard thoughtfully, took his chair and sat on it.

"Finally, it is about time that my knowledge is appreciated. I'm just wondering which of the princes it was. Ragnar and Link always come here when they've messed up in their training and are too proud to go to the royal healer because their father would get wind of it. It must be one of them…hmm… I wonder which one…"

Dr Borville lit the tobacco in his pipe with relish and leaned back in his chair. Zelda forced herself to smile because of the lie about his skills. She knew that her abilities had surpassed her master's and every day she felt it more and more; as if she was standing still without being able to grow. But then she smirked at the thought of Link secretly trying to escape his father's eyes.

"But don't you dare using the money to pay your debts. I'll publicly denounce you as a thief if you do," he warned her.

Zelda clawed her nails into the edge of the table she was holding onto and sighed inwardly. _Of course,_ she wouldn’t dare to, but the old man hated young people and women and she was both, so she was incessantly subjected to his harassment.

She had to do _something_ to be able to live independently of her father one day. A life of freedom, far away from the place where she had only bad memories. But as it goes as it is, she wondered if she was ever able to accomplish that since the old geezer barely paid her full salary.

To take her mind off things and distract her teacher, she posed curiously. "Doctor, would you kindly tell me more about the princes?"

"You silly brat, don't even know anything about the ruling family. These children these days, never learn. Anyway, let me explain to you who the royal family is:

Starting with King Selim. He is titled The Mighty and The Merciless because he mercilessly defends the sacred places of the goddesses. The present borders of Hyrule are entirely due to his iron hand. In the past, there were often wars over those sacred sites, over the Temple of Time and the Forgotten Temple. However, King Selim never gave up and risked everything to protect those places. Unfortunately, he is also merciless within his family, as he expected the same strength from his sons. That is why his sons come to me very often, as everyone in the royal house is under the king's watch. Everything is reported to the king and even injuries that the boys inflict on themselves during hard training can lead to the father's disfavour. You must know, none of them have the same mother and are therefore exposed to constant competition. To avoid brothers of the same blood killing each other to get on the throne, King Selim enforced the law that as soon as a queen gave birth to an heir to the throne, she would be sent to a province with her son. The young prince would then undergo an extensive and rigorous education until the age of 16, so that he would henceforth be allowed to live in the royal court. However, who was allowed to be crowned king was up to the king alone. In the past, the remaining brothers were executed to prevent them from plotting against the new king, which also explains why the boys have no uncles and only aunts. Selim may be a cruel man, but the loss of his brothers also demanded a lot of him, so he decided to change the old law by sending the remaining brothers back to their mothers. Princes also have the choice of establishing themselves in other fields, such as the armed forces.

If we look at the first-born Prince Ecberht; The ambitious and eccentric Ecberht, sees his brothers only as competitors for the royal throne and often gives them a hard time. However, at his young age of 20, he has a strange power to draw attention to himself and also enjoys making big speeches to fire up the crowd. He spends most of his time handling diplomatic affairs in other kingdoms and playfully twists people around his finger. You can recognise him by his different coloured eyes; one green and one blue. He has darker hair than his brothers because his mother, Queen Seaxbourgh has very dark hair and green eyes. Like all princes, he had to be taught martial arts and is consequently very muscular. He has no siblings, as he was the very first child.

Prince Link, the son of the second queen, Queen Aslaug, is a highly talented archer, horse warrior and wields any sword weapon as if it were part of himself. And yet he is only 19 years old and already surpasses any sword master."

Zelda tried not to let on how the name caught her attention, so she turned her face away and turned her attention to the herbs. Dr Borville paused briefly in his narrative to clutch at his painfully cramped back. Meanwhile, she looked for a plant that increased concentration and one that relieved pain. She boiled both with hot water and handed the tea with the pain relief to her master. The doctor's little errand boy returned with a bag of herbs and Zelda motioned for him to sit on her lap and listen in.

"Well, now that we are complete, I can continue the tale... where was I?" asked the senile man.

"At Prince Link's."

"Oh yes exactly! Prince Link, as I said, is not only gifted in the martial arts, but also excels in all the sciences. Some rumour says he is the King's absolute favourite, having inherited his father's acumen and ruthlessness. However, he is not my favourite, as he has a too soft heart, having inherited his mother's sense of justice and mercy. These people only bring trouble and endanger the rules of the monarchy, as was seen years later."

" What happened years later?" asked the little boy, on Zelda's lap, named Nebb. He was just six years young and yet he had to work so hard to help his family.

"Don't be so impatient, you brat!" the doctor grumbled.

Nebb winced imperceptibly, but Zelda didn't miss it and hugged him closer. He looked up at her and thanked her with a smile.

"The problem was that King Selim was so fascinated with her that years later, he bent the rules and fathered a second child with her. Princess Lagertha. She must have reached the age of 12 by now. You can see how dangerous the very existence of such people is for the dynasty's continued operations," he grumbled.

Zelda sighed inwardly. _'Surely this grumpy old man is afraid of everything that is foreign to him,'_ she thought.

"Anyway, what about the other princes?" she asked instead of speaking her thoughts aloud.

"All right, then. Let us now come to Prince Ragnar. He is the son of the third queen, Bonduca, a queen who was also an army commander and a warrior in body and soul. Ragnar therefore takes after her; a giant, broad-shouldered and a strategic genius. You can see his lust for battle in his eyes. He is generally recognised by his provocative smirk on his face. You can recognise him by his ice-blue eyes and white-blond hair, which he has braided into a complicated knot combined with an undercut. However, he is also a womaniser and no one knows how many bastard sons he has fathered. He may be a battle-strategic genius on the battlefield, but to rule a kingdom he is far too cunning.

Then there is Prince James, the youngest brother. Three years younger than Prince Ecberht. He is the son of the third queen, Queen Elizabeth. Average height, athletic and possesses an immense repertoire of knowledge. Although he has copper hair, a stubbly beard and green eyes, like his mother, he is very calm in contrast to his striking appearance. He is only interested in the relics of the ancient peoples who once developed these titans, shrines and towers. All humbug, in my opinion. At least he has a knack for architecture, infrastructure and finance. He could handle numbers and formulas like no one else in the kingdom and is often consulted by the Sheikah. In my opinion, he should take more interest in it, but nobody asks me. Old people have nothing more to say. What are these relics for? It's not for nothing that they were never used, as no one seems to have needed them! Pah!"

But as the old doctor was getting more into his aggression, a young man in his mid-twenties suddenly came rushing in. Zelda, in a panic, hid the little Nebb behind her and stood in front of the sack of Rupees so as not to create any problems.

"Hand over the rupees the prince left you and no one will get hurt!"

"There was no prince here! Now get out of here before I ram my cane so far up your ass that you can nibble on it with your teeth," said the grim old man, waving his walking stick on his chair.

Zelda, meanwhile, secretly tucked the pouch into her sleeve. "Please don't hurt us, we will give you what we have, but a prince was not here. And we have only the bare necessities."

"I don't believe a word you say! I saw one of the princes come out of this street!" he shouted, waving his short sword around.

"Get out of here, you good-for-nothing dumbass!" the doctor shouted.

Zelda slowly walked to the herb cupboard where her savings were and gave it to the burglar.

"As I said it's not much, but it's all we have. A prince wasn't here either, because as you know they would never set foot in a dump. They are too fine for themselves." She watched expectantly as the man assessed the information and hoped he could not see through it. The man lowered his knife and counted the rupees in the container as she slowly turned to Nebb and gestured with her eyes for him to give her one of the stinking elixirs. Like a ghost, the little boy moved around the room and stealthily handed a bottle to Zelda's hand behind her back. Determined, she held the bottle in her hand and prayed to Hylia to have the courage to do right.

The young man eyed her suspiciously and took out all the money and put it in his belt pouch.

Tensely, Zelda watched what was happening and clutched the bottle like a sprout of hope.

The old man looked at the young man grimly. Zelda inwardly admonished him for saying something rash. This was a dangerous situation in which they would either have to get away with minimal loss or pay with their lives.

Every word and every move would therefore be weighed in the balance.

But suddenly he put away his short sword.

"This time I believe you. But I will watch you. If I see anything conspicuous, I will kill you all and take your money that you are hiding from me."

He left the hut and ran away.

A moment later, all three breathed a sigh of relief. Nebb ran into Zelda's open arms and hugged her tightly. Zelda had gone down on her knees and was relieved that little innocent Nebb did not have to experience any horror.

"We should send the money back to the prince, it's too dangerous to keep it here,” she said to break the tension.

"Absolutely not! We'd be bankrupt without the money and it will starve us for the winter! I'd rather die a quick death than starve to death in freezing cold!" although the old geezer was being stubborn again, Zelda had to agree with him. It was risky, but it was better than starving. She looked at Nebb and immediately regretted her words.

 _‘His family would starve too,’_ she thought gloomily. She kissed his forehead and let him go.

There was another way. And Link was the solution.

"Master, please excuse me for today, I have to go and look after my father," she lied.

"Yes, yes. But in the morning you're going to stand here with full attention again and work the hell out of you."

She nodded and took Nebb's tiny hand. She put the elixir back and walked towards the Royal Castle with the boy by the hand.

Link looked out his window and saw all the lanterns flooding the marketplace with light, music reaching his ears and drawing him magically. The winter solstice had arrived once again, which could only explain one thing about the commotion: The Festival of Lights was being celebrated. For as long as Link could remember, he loved this festival, as it was the best way to mingle with all the peoples of Hyrule and to escape, at least for one evening, from the hard training of princes.

He wondered what he should wear, whether he should stay undercover or reveal himself. He sighed, realising that every single person knew his face anyway. So he decided to put on his white shirt, but the fabric on his arms and chest made them tense, he was gaining muscle from the harder training and excessive food intake. He cursed softly to himself and buttoned the buttons along his muscular torso with difficulty. He pulled on the sapphire blue Prince's tunic, accentuated by golden ornaments at the hem and sleeves. He then pulled on the black and brown leather chest protector with the royal family crest and tied his leather bracers to his forearms. When he was finished with his dark Hylian trousers and leather boots, he tied on his leather belt, which had the seal of the Triforce stamped on it. Link finally threw his cloak around his shoulders and fastened his sword to his belt and strutted out of the palace towards the marketplace with his shoulders erect.

"Oh, beloved big brother Link! Wait for me, I'm coming with you!" a melodic voice shouted behind him as he already caught the dusty smell of earth mixed with wood and snow of the marketplace. Clacking heels ran towards him; he knew the footsteps all too well. He turned and as he spread his arms wide, a petite person jumped into his arms. Link gently set her on her feet and looked at his younger sister. She had her dark blonde long hair braided all the way through and decorated with flowers, and had had a lovely dress in muted colours tailored for the occasion. She looked like a flower child, blessed by the goddess Hylia herself.

"Lagertha my dear little sister. It is good to see you well again. You look wonderful and adorable in your outfit." She smiled sheepishly as Link held out his arm to her and escorted her to the fairground.

"Big brother Link, do you know where our brothers Ragnar, James and Ecberht are? I haven't seen them in a long time, since I was sent to boarding school for girls. You have always been the only one to send me letters and gifts." Although it distressed her, Lagertha had learned not to let anyone know outwardly, but her brother Link, was the only person she could be who she was with.

"Our brothers have never been good with words, especially when it comes to their feelings. Please, bear with them, they still love you with all their hearts and would have any bastard executed on the spot if they so much as touched a hair on your head."

He always knew how she felt and was grateful and relieved that he could understand her without saying much.

"Thank you very much, dear brother. But let us rather celebrate the winter solstice and think of happier things. I'm sure our brothers will be there too." She trilled happily and grinned broadly at him.

He looked down at her and laughed heartily at the underlying irony in her voice. Yes, there was some truth to it, for Ragnar, James and Ecberht were indeed never far away when there was something to celebrate.

Soon the two siblings had reached the marketplace and were watching the colourful swirl of lights, dances and different clans. Happy laughter accompanied the sound of the Goron clan's taiko drums, the Rito's accordion and sweet singing, the Sheikah's shakuhachi flute and the Gerudo's oriental-sounding instruments. Various smells from the stalls rose to their noses and stimulated their curiosity and appetite. Although it was freezing cold, this place seemed like a warming oasis and warmed the hearts of the people. Sporadically, Hylian knights danced with women from different clans, twirling them as their clothes were stirred up by the gyrations.

Link looked at his little sister, who was beaming with joy. At moments like these, he wished his sister could enjoy a simple life, away from the castle.

But then the booming sound of trumpets interrupted him and everything went quiet. The guards had just announced the arrival of the royal family.

All eyes were now on them.

Link felt a strong hand on his left shoulder and looked up.

His eldest brother Ecberht and his younger brothers Ragnar and James stood beside him and winked at him.

“Let’s mix up the party a bit” said Ragnar, Link’s loopy younger brother, as his eyes sparkled pugnaciously. His outfit was all black and more resembled leather battlefield armour.

James dressed in modest colours, blue fatigues and brown accessories. He stood behind Ragnar and muttered that a bigger place should have been chosen for the fest.

Link sighed. Of course, his big brother Ecberht was dressed in white and gold. 

Ecberht smirked at Ragnar’s comment and then addressed the people. “Please, do not stop dancing and singing, but let us celebrate together in honour of the gods, this festival. No rank and no rules, only our common faith will define us on this holy night. So let the feast begin!” he bawled theatrically.

Inwardly, Link sighed. _‘I must correct myself, his brothers had a way with words when they had a political use for them.’_

Shortly afterwards, the musicians began to play their instruments again, magically managing to harmonise all the different sounds. Link admired their talent to compose contrasting styles into a masterpiece, so he joined the musicians closer, along with his sister.

“Look dear brother, there are sweet crepes! Will you allow me to get one myself?” said Lagertha, making a pout.

“I’ll give you my wallet just in case you buy more than one crepe.” Link knew she just wanted to look around and would love to join in all the festivities. Therefore, he let her go, still glancing after her as she pranced happily to the stalls. Link, meanwhile, watched as Ecberht pounced on the clan leaders and mesmerised them, as Ragnar with a group of knights cheered on a weird fool in their midst to drink an alcoholic beverage from a barrel, and as Wilhelm talked spiritedly with the Sheikah scholars Purah and Robbie. He grinned, everyone was busy and content. It was time to be able to enjoy himself too.

But just as he was about to turn his attention to the food stalls, someone tapped him on the shoulder. It was none other than the royal advisor Impa of the Sheikah clan.

“Your royal highness, I am delighted to welcome you to the marketplace. Do you like it?”

"Yes, it’s incredible. We have your organisational skills to thank for that alone.“

Impa was three years older than him and was like an elder sister to him. She was inspiring and always gave her all to her work at the farm, which was why Link respected her so much.

"Thank you very much, Link. Do you possibly need a recommendation from me on what you could do first?”

“No, I don’t. I was going to inquire and marvel at the various interesting smells of the stalls, but I have a better idea now.”

Impa knew very well that he was trying to express in a polite way that he wanted to gulp down all the food and grunted a suppressed laugh. “What would be your grandiose idea?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

But Impa did not expect Link to playfully bow to her and hold out his hand. “Allow me to have my first dance with you, honoured royal advisor.”

They both snorted as Impa dramatically placed her hand on his. He straightened and escorted her to the dance floor.

The music changed to a Hylian folk dance that Link knew all too well. Impa and Link twirled around laughing to the rhythm of the tinkling instruments. Stepping and stamping, the dancers whirled up the snow lying on the ground. Icy wetness penetrated their clothes, but no one was disturbed, they were too deeply engrossed in their joy.

But suddenly golden hair flashed in the corner of his eye and he turned his head to the cause of his amazement. He wanted to make sure his eyes were not playing tricks on him and looked for the woman who belonged to those hairs.

When his eyes caught her at a stall at the other end of the marketplace, he stopped and stared at her. She had braided her hair in a long tail from the roots to the ends. A white scarf, tied together in a bow, held the braid together. Two thick strands of hair framed her pretty face, like a golden frame of a painting. She wore a white long and flowing dress, which had puffed sleeves and was tied tightly at her nether regions with a charcoal coloured leather arm guard. Her dress had buttons that she buttoned up to her neck. Over her white dress she wore a sapphire blue dress, which was longer than her white one and had narrow straps. It was tight against her chest and waist and parted in two from her midnight blue waist corsage. She, like him, wore a chest protector with the Hylian script for 'Medi Corps’ and had a black leather belt fastened around her waist from which hung small cloth and leather pouches filled with medicines. She warmly attended to the injured and hypothermic patients at her stall. A small lanky boy hung from her skirt, he also wore a chest protector with the Medi Corps sign.

Link couldn’t get out of his amazement, so Impa tried to see what Link was seeing, looking confused between the dot in the distance and his fixed gaze. She waved in front of his eyes to get him out of his embarrassed stare. “Your royal highness is something wrong?” she finally asked.

As if snapped out of his trance, he looked at her, puzzled, until it finally dawned on him. “Impa. This woman with the golden hair, her name is Zelda, and she is a student of the quirky healer Doctor Borville. Do you know who she is? That’s all I’ve been able to find out about her.”

Impa finally understood and mused for a while, but then she was struck by the resemblance to a woman who also had uniquely shimmering golden hair. “She would have to be the daughter of the Battalion Commander Rhoam Dejardin, whose family, served as loyal knights for many generations. However, her mother died when she was only six years old. Zelda Dejardin takes after her late mother. It is rare for Hylians to be born blonde and even rarer with the shimmering golden hair colour.”

“By Hylia, how do you know all this?” he marvelled, looking at her piercingly.

“It’s my work, Link.” She chuckled. Impa paused for a moment, wondering why Link hadn’t courted her long ago, but then a flash of inspiration came to her. “Link, go and dance with her.” she encouraged him.

“Why would she want to dance with me, she didn’t even want to work in the castle as a royal healer when I offered it to her.”

“There are also women out there who don’t want to spread their legs the moment they see a prince, your stupid highness,” Impa said in a sarcastic tone.

Link smirked at her direct honesty and marched straight towards Zelda.

As he approached her he was followed by onlookers and curious glances. But someone else was more important to him at the moment. Zelda. Her name sounded to him like one of the relaxing water features in the ponds in the Sheikah’s village.

He saw her expression change from wonder to relief as the light of the torch illuminated his face. She smiled at him, straightened up and pulled her dress into place.

“Madam Healer, please honour me with this one dance.” he said in the most respectful way possible, as many people were present and could hear him. He bowed and offered her his hand, which she hesitantly accepted. He felt her frozen fingertips on his warm hand. He wanted to be her, but he had to resist his impulse. He straightened up and walked to the dance floor with her hand on his. Even the musicians had observed what was happening and changed the song this time it was a royal court dance.

But judging by her confident air and smile, she knew this song.

Their eyes fixed on each other, they danced elegantly and in slow steps in a circle, their hands always joined. Like an eagle spreading its wings, he stretched out his free arm and stopped on the spot. He lifted his knee to either side until he put it down. Mirroring Link’s movements more daintily, Zelda spun around and placed her hand on his again. He clasped her hand, spun her in a circle and, in rhythm with the music, squatted down on his knees and half-turned to either side. Zelda stopped and made a dainty curtsy. He stood up again and let go of her hand and turned to face her, which she did in turn. The rhythm got faster and they repeated the same movements, only faster. The melody flowed smoothly into another folk dance and Link grabbed Zelda’s hand and let it bounce against his chest, twisting himself. He grabbed her waist and lifted her above his head as he spun. He spun her around and around, their hands intertwined. A comforting, feeling of trust spread through Zelda’s chest and she grinned from ear to ear. Since the death of her mother, she had not been able to build up any trust and now she realised how much she had missed this feeling. Link was radiant with his gleaming white teeth and tanned complexion. She was sure he could help her.

“Your Royal Highness, I have a request,” she whispered as he grabbed her by the waist again and turned her to his chest. She turned her face to his and realised how close he was to her. She could breathe in his scent and the warm breath he expelled from his heated body.

“Whatever you desire,” he replied, turning her away from him.

She had to gather her thoughts for a moment as his nearness had unintentionally befuddled her.

“The streets outside the central marketplace are still unsafe. The lives of my master, his seven-year-old errand boy, and mine, have been in danger since your last visit to us. I asked for an audience at the palace a week ago, but no one would listen to us.”

He raised their clasped hands above their heads and led them in a circle. Lithely, he moved his hips to the rhythm of the music.

Link’s smile faded and gave way to anger in his eyes.

“I will take care of it, tomorrow morning at the latest. But for now, I ask you to forget everything else for the rest of the dance and focus only on my eyes.”

Indeed, she felt safer as she focused on his sea-blue eyes. Her limbs relaxed and her head floated as if on a cloud.

On the last beat of the melody, things picked up a little and Link leapt powerfully like a warrior in a circle around her; his fire igniting her fire.

The drumbeats grew faster and faster until tey slowly died away and he pulled her close to him on the last sound.

Breathing heavily, Link looked deep into her eyes and smirked naughtily. Zelda found her hands resting on his chest, relaxed against his chest protector, as if it were natural. She stared at his lips as his grin grew wider.

Suddenly aware of where she was and what that just looked like, she jerked away from him and curtsied hastily before turning away.

Loud clapping around her switched through the entire marketplace. All around them, more people had found the courage to dance, but the gawking gathering of people from the various races was remarkable.

All eyes were on Zelda and Link, who danced masterfully to the folk dances in unison with each other.

Zelda looked around in amazement and blushed. She turned her head to the side as Link reached for her hand and squeezed it reassuringly.

'His hands are so strong, warm and give you strength,’ she thought secretly.

Link stretched his broad chest through and readied himself for an announcement.

“’ The woman on my hand is Zelda Dejardin, daughter of the Commander of the First Legion. From now on, she and everyone closely associated with her is under royal protection. She and her master save lives daily and anyone who attempts to inflict suffering on them will not only be punished by death, but also the assassin’s kin.”

Link waited a moment, watching the various reactions of the onlookers. Awe, cheering, clapping and swarming were the usual reactions. However, he was looking for a specific reaction. His pupils twitched back and forth in alarm, looking for that one person, and finally found him.

Zelda stared at him in shock, but when she looked into his eyes she understood what he was trying to do.

“ _James! Ragnar!_ Come here!” he yelled over Zelda’s head, not taking his eyes off the one person.

Two huge men, not much older than Zelda, ran up to her and stopped right next to her. Zelda marvelled at how apt her master’s description was. Although Link already towered over her by more than a head, his brothers managed to be three to four heads taller than her. She felt as if there were mountains standing beside her, not men. Link let go of her hand and briefly explained to his brothers what his plan was and Zelda was amazed, at his keen senses, though he seemed heated after the dance.

 _'Or was it just a game?’_ Zelda remembered the old man’s tale and wondered if all four brothers had more in common with their father than assumed.

Slowly she turned her head to Link, who was heatedly arguing with his brother Ragnar, while both had a strange glint in their eyes. Zelda barely heard what Link was saying to her, she only saw him rush into the crowd with Ragnar, chasing after a man.

But then James cleared his throat and Zelda was dragged out of her trance. Jerkily, she turned her head to him, feeling that he had said something.

“Excuse me, Your Royal Highness, could you repeat what you said one more time?”

He laughed sheepishly. “All I said was that you had better come with me before you become the epicentre of attention any longer. Anyway, you look as if you’re going to topple over at any moment.”

Indeed, her legs were shaking, though it was not because of the cold. “Goodness, you’re right!”

James laughed again and offered her a supporting arm, gratefully she leaned on him and pointed him in the direction she wanted.

“gracious Healer, I heard from my brother Link how gifted you were. He was just standing there and hadn’t said anything yet, but youJ knew immediately where the pain was. I knew immediately that I had to meet you and work with you, because I recognise my equal immediately. I am also very interested in science and think that together we can achieve amazing things. My brothers unfortunately have their focus elsewhere and only Robbie and Purah can reasonably keep up with me, but with you I see a lot of potential that needs to be tapped and nurtured.” Zelda heard the hint of disappointment and teasing sarcasm when he spoke of his brothers and had to stifle a laugh. She remembered the Master telling her that James was more focused on the sciences and thought of what it would be like to work with him.

“Agreed. Science is also my speciality and I feel severely underused with my Master. However, I will come with you to the castle under certain conditions.”

“Of course, speak as you wish.”

“My master’s little runner is to be given a decent post in the castle with which he can support his family decently financially. With our master he got payment very irregularly, if anything at all, and so I always shared my portion with him.”

As she spoke of her terms, the two walked through the crowd, past her master’s stall and up to a point just before the bridge to the castle. Zelda sensed that this was only the beginning of a great change, but she had no idea what to expect.

**Author's Note:**

> based on the Zelink reversed roles AU Art of @/TheNebulace on Twitter I had the inspiration to write this multiple chapter Story of Zelda being a healer and Link being an Heir to the Throne.
> 
> Many characters name’s are based on real NPC from botw or are legendary/historically personalities.
> 
> Selim: historical chronicles say he was a ruthless and mighty emperor of the ottoman empire who protected the sacred religious grounds until his last breath. Lived in the 15th century
> 
> Ragnar: legendary Viking king and (is here) based on his Viking Series character
> 
> Lagertha: legendary queen, wife of Ragnar and warrior (here based on the Viking Series character with no relationship to her half brother Ragnar)
> 
> Queen Bonduca: [aka Boudicca] historically British Queen and Commander of a Legion 61 AC (here the mother of Ragnar)
> 
> Ecberht: King of the Wessex in 8th century, fought against the invasion of the Vikings, also here based in the Viking Series character
> 
> Queen Seaxbourgh: historical mother of the historical Ecberht
> 
> James: the historical successor of Queen Elizabeth Tudor, has here red hair to honour the red-haired Queen Elizabeth Tudor
> 
> Queen Elizabeth: historically daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, Tudor-Family. Lived in the 16th century.
> 
> Nebb & Celessia: NPC from Botw


End file.
